Modi must appear before the three-man BCCI committee

Sporting fraternity feels Lalit must appear before three-man BCCI committee to shore up his statement: I am not guilty and have nothing to hide

The Indian Premier League controversy cannot stop simmering. Today, former IPL chief, Lalit Modi is supposed to appear before a Board of Control for Cricket in India three-man disciplinary committee of Chirayu Amin, Arun Jaitley and Jyotiraditya Scindia to answer a gamut of charges against him.

Top non-cricketing sportspersons, advise the former IPL chairman to grin and face it.

Ace shooter Ashok Pandit believed Modi should explain himself today. "Modi must appear before this disciplinary committee. He's been given a chance to explain himself. It's wrong to assume that the committee is biased even before the hearing begins. Modi in fact, must relish the opportunity. He can later, of course, if he thinks that justice is not being done to him, say why he feels the committee is biased and then his argument would be more solid," said the fiery Pandit, who has been known to speak out against the shooting officials on a number of occasions.

For former top jockey Pesi Shroff, now a trainer, the operative word is justice. "In an issue as public as this, where a club level or private enterprise has gathered huge national significance, it is important that the BCCI and others here are seen as impartial, are impartial and the public knows that justice is done. Modi must state his case before this committee but throughout proceedings and after, the public too must be convinced that this was a fair committee with a fair verdict. After all, it is the people who follow it that are the lifeblood of the game so they should be no room for doubt," said Shroff.

If you have no doubt about what you have done, "come clean," felt snooker champion Yasin Merchant, who admitted "being impressed with what Lalit Modi has done for cricket, making the non-cricket follower a cricket fan really, it is quite phenomenal. If I was in Modi's place, I'd appear before any committee as he claims
he has nothing to hide."

Whatever the truth, table tennis Arjuna awardee Kamlesh Mehta is of the opinion that, "this is not good for the game's image. Modi, who must be credited with the huge success of T-20, needs to follow procedure. I'm surprised though because this must be the first time that an official has been taken to task, usually it is athletes and coaches that face the music." "An impression is given that this investigation may also have some internal dimension. Some game is being played which has nothing to do with sport," Mehta signed off.